Jason Segel is known for his roles in the beloved series ‘How I Met Your Mother‘ and films like ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’. With a huge fanbase, the actor’s decision to leave the Hollywood industry and LA altogether created a frenzy among his fans and admirers. But it was for his own good.
Jason recently opened up about the reason for leaving Hollywood. He realized that he was not giving time to himself during the whole process of acting and making a career in it. He self-introspected and cleared his mind clutter to reach the decision. Here’s all he said.
Jason Segel Reveals Why He Left Los Angeles
During his recent appearance on Today Show, Jason Segel talked about why he left Hollywood and Los Angeles after the success of ‘How I Met Your Mother.‘ The host questioned him: “You did something so interesting,” she said.
“A lot of people would’ve just taken a big dive into Hollywood, but you did something else. You pulled up stakes and moved away from all that. Why’d you do that?” the host asked.
Jason replied, “I was having a really roaring twenties. I had How I Met Your Mother and I was also writing a bunch of movies that were successful and doing well.” Moreover, leaving Los Angeles allowed him to take time for himself and focus on his well-being.
Moving Out Of LA Helped Jason Segel Think Better About His Life
During his busy schedule that mostly involved shooting for his popular show ‘HIMYM‘, Jason Segel realized that he wasn’t doing personal check-ins. He said, “I realized that art is supposed to be a reflection of what you’re going through and I actually wasn’t going through much life-wise.” That’s when he decided he needed a break and to restart his life with a clear mind.
Segel further revealed that after he moved out of LA, he started questioning himself on what he actually liked and how he felt as an actor and a performer. He moved to a little country town called Ojai, California.
“Being there had the really interesting side-effect of realizing — after six weeks time, mind you — that, ‘Oh, my gosh. I finally feel calm,’” he said. “And it occurred to me that when you’re doing this job and living in L.A., you’re never leaving campus.”
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Segel added, “So it was like this whole new experience to realize that when someone outside of Hollywood asks, ‘What are you up to?’ they mean, like, right now. So the answer is: ‘Oh. I’m on my way to the grocery store,’ not ‘I have three projects in development.”
So his decision to leave the city of Hollywood dreams may have come off as bad news for his fans, but it has definitely brought the actor peace and a clear sense of purpose in life.
